Activate Accident Repair (AAR) has opened a new body shop in Newcastle, expanding its EV repair capabilities.

Activate Accident Repair’s new body shop in Newcastle expands its EV repair capabilities

Located in Newcastle, the new site is the sixth location for the business and strengthens its position in the North East.

The new 20,000 sq ft body shop is situated two miles from Newcastle city centre and, as with all the firm’s existing sites, is purpose built. This provides it with significant resources, technology, processes and infrastructure to repair of all vehicle types, including the latest electric vehicle repairs. Recent figures from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) showed a major skills gap n the proportion of the automotive sector able to work on electric vehicles; its June 2021 data revealed that only 6.5% of the automotive sector was EV-ready.

Helping to solve this, all AAR sites have a dedicated EV and hybrid repair bay with all tooling and equipment insulated and specific to working on such vehicles. And all technicians working on EVs have received the latest training and qualifications to carry out repairs and routine maintenance.

The site has already completed its first job on 27 September and enhances Activate Group’s hybrid repair solution, which comprises its own body shops alongside repair partners. The group, which was founded in 2015, launched its Activate Accident Repair body shop division in 2019 under a strategic growth plan to meet demand for high-quality repair centres in historically underserved urban areas.

Lee Johnson, Newcastle body shop manager, commented: “Our first full week of repairing vehicles has gone extremely well, a lot of equipment training has taken place for our techs and currently we have close to 100 vehicles on site with an extremely busy workshop. Every member of staff has settled in really well and has embraced the culture we are trying to implement. We are all genuinely looking forward to the challenge ahead and our first full month of trading.”